Lost in the Search

<p>I've never posted on here before so here goes nothing.</p>

<p>I'm a junior trying to compile a list of colleges that I like so that I can start applications this summer, but I'm so entirely lost. I have no idea how to find schools that match me well. I've tried those college match things, but they understandably can't find places that match me as a person.</p>

<p>I'd really appreciate any suggestions on the search or even suggestions of universities themselves.</p>

<p>For the incredibly kind souls who would like to point me towards schools, here's a bit about me:
I'm a fairly good student- 4.62/3.8 w/uw GPA, 2200 SAT. Plenty of APs. I have a lot of leadership experience, something I'm very passionate about. I was/am the drum major of the band (my one true love) and editor of the newspaper (my other love). Also NHS member/volunteer at the local wildlife shelter. I really want to study environmental science, I adore sustainability/climate change, more specifically, and ultimately I'd like to do environmental advising for large companies. </p>

<p>In a college I'd like a place that doesn't party hard every day of the week, but I highly want to avoid intense study culture. LGBT acceptance is important to me as well. Iike deep discussion and meaningful friendships. I suffer from anxiety disorder, so you can understand why a friendly, relaxed, not in-your-face place is what I want.</p>

<p>Some petty things: I worked really hard all through high schools, so secretly I'd like a little prestige in the name. You know, low acceptance rates, pretty campus. It's not important, but hey, may as well mention it. And though if a place was right for me I'd brave the winters, I'm from Texas and warm weather makes me very happy.</p>

<p>Sorry this was so long! Advanced thank you for any words of wisdom anyone may have for me!</p>

<p>Would you be okay studying abroad?
<a href=“Environment, Sustainability and Society Program - College of Sustainability - Dalhousie University”>http://www.dal.ca/faculty/sustainability/programs/ess.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Other than that, College of the Atlantic, Humboldt, and Warren Wilson are academic safeties for you and personal “fits”.</p>

<p>Well, here a few schools I can think of that err toward the more ‘relaxed’ side of things:</p>

<p>-Rice
-Wesleyan
-Brown
-Boston University
-Bates (Very cold weather, though!)</p>

<p>Pretty safe, quirky, affordable, with strong environmental science programs and very LGBT-friendly: New College of FL. You might try to aim for Pomona. Reed is probably a pretty good fit, but they are not the best place if you will need a lot of financial assistance. Whitman College is a low-match for you, although the weather might be a little chilly. My son had markedly lower stats than yours, and they accepted him with $7.5k in merit aid. If you can afford the steep out-of-state price tag, I’d say that UC Santa Cruz is probably a safe school for you. I don’t know how strong Tulane’s Envi-Sci. department is, but they’re pretty good in most sciences. You have an excellent chance of getting in (bonus: unbeatable local music scene), with the likelihood of a scholarship (my son was accepted under their non-binding Early Action program, but without any money). You definitely have a shot at Vanderbilt, which has great Science and Music departments. I don’t know how LGBT-friendly they are. If visiting is feasible, you should probably do so to see whether you like it. Since you liked marching band so much, would you prefer a school with a strong athletic program where you could continue with it, or would you prefer a community with more musical and theatrical opportunities? I think both Tulane and Vanderbilt would fit either bill. </p>

<p>I feel that you would really benefit from a small LAC.</p>

<p>Please look into the Claremont Colleges. They’re fantastic as far as inclusiveness and laid-back sunny atmospheres go.</p>

<p>Wow I forgot about this thread and then so many responses all at once. Thanks to all!</p>

<p>Guest 15: Rice is definitely on my list, but they hate kids from Houston and they take very few, so it’ll be tough. I’ll definitely check out the envi programs at the other three too.</p>

<p>woogzmama: I keep hearing the name New College and I keep avoiding looking it up, but I’ll do so now. Funny that you mentioned Reed, my dean did too. He recommends it to anyone with ears to listen with, though. Pomona is adorable I’ll definitely look into that. Vandy pretty much gets an F on LGBT inclusion, but I’ll have a look at the social atmosphere. </p>

<p>Carotid: Pomona’s cool, I’ll be curious about the sciences in those schools.</p>

<p>MYOS1634: Abroad probably isn’t an option for me, unfortunately.</p>

<p>Yes to marching band! I live for the smell of astroturf in the hot sun. I’ve been really eyeing up Wellesley college, so if anyone has a thought of them I’d love to hear it. I’d probably work out a way to tech a high school band in Boston and audition Boston Crusaders DBC.</p>

<p>Thanks for the suggestions, you’re all wonderful!</p>

<p>I second New College in Sarasota and suggest that you also look at Eckerd in St. Petersburg. Look at the “news and events” tab on the website. It was recognized again as a green school by Princeton Review. Lots of green and sustainability projects on campus, including an environmental dorm. Fantastic research opportunities. There is a new $400,000 Luce foundation grant provided through the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment, will bring together Eckerd’s Environmental Studies and East Asian Studies programs under a collaborative umbrella called the Asia and the Environment Initiative. The peer mentor program and the Professor mentor program are a huge bonus. It is very much a collaborative atmosphere. Eckerd has the largest number of Hollings NOAA scholars in the US. “The Current” is an award winning student newspaper and available online. You can be a member of the orchestra and not be required to be a music major. Great merit and financial aid. Very LGBT friendly. </p>

<p>Reed and NCF might not be the best places if you’re looking to avoid a place with ‘intense study culture’. Despite the liberal leanings of the student body, these schools are anything -but- relaxed when it comes to academics.</p>

<p>I definitely think that UC Santa Cruz would be a good safety for you. From what you mentioned, I feel like you would do better in a smaller school, though. Sorry that I don’t have any better advice!</p>

<p>^I second Eckerd enthusiastically :)</p>

<p>Too bad for Dalhousie, their Sustainability program sounded perfect for you.</p>

<p>Note that at many colleges cited above and ranked outside the top25, you’d likely win merit money, which could come in handy depending on your financial situation.</p>

<p>^yes please I’ll take all the money I can get haha</p>

<p>A plus for New College and Eckerd for safety types with great social fits for you and respectable academics.</p>

<p>-Middlebury
-Case Western
-Oberlin
-Harvey Mudd

  • I second the votes for Wesleyan, Brown, Rice and the Claremont colleges (Pomona and Harvey Mudd esp.)</p>

<p>these schools are LGBT friendly (for the most part, I think) and have good programs in several departments. </p>

<p>I’m lucky to live in Texas where I’m welcome at every public school in the state automatically by grace of the 10% (7% for UT but I still fit the bill so whatever) automatic admit policy, so my safeties are UT and A&M which are both fabulous schools with really good envisci programs. So I’m not really on the prowl for schools that don’t compare to them.</p>

<p>Just glancing, almost all of the envi programs at LACs that I’ve liked are very policy driven instead of science driven with the exception of Wesleyan, Wellesley, and Pomona (sort of). Those 3, however, I will definitely look into.</p>

<p>You requested a specific social fit, which is why we suggested all these schools.
UT and TAMU are terrific schools but based on what you’re looking for, theymay not be great fits.
UT would be okay I think, it’s friendly but rather intense.
(TAMU in particular would not be a good fit as it is not LGBT friendly)
Be careful to look at Environmental Science, not “studies”.
NCF is probably the best match for you - Honors College of Florida, so not for the faint hearted academically but not New England Elite intense either, considered an “Ivy feeder” for grad school, quirky, LGBT friendly, warm weather, gorgeous campus, not too expensive/possibilities of merit aid.</p>

<p>One you may like:
<a href=“http://cafes.calpoly.edu/”>http://cafes.calpoly.edu/&lt;/a&gt;
Another but may lack the prestige you seek:
<a href=“Environmental Science & Management”>Environmental Science & Management;

<p>Oh yeah of course, don’t get me wrong I totally appreciate all of your suggestions. I am looking for the other schools, because I don’t particularly love either of those schools. The UT environmental program is very small on purpose which I appreciate. I have a bit of a family legacy at A&M (I would be a 3rd generation aggie) so if I chose to go there I wouldn’t be surprised if my dad somehow magically produced a little more money for me to live off campus (as a lot of the school does anyways) so that I can feel more comfortable. I am, however, highly familiar with the atmosphere and campus. But the only real reason I’m considering it is because their environmental geoscience program has a ton of research oppurtunities and a 5 year bachelor’s/master’s program. But mostly I’d rather not go to either.</p>

<p>No more forgetting, I’m opening the NCF tab as we speak.</p>

<p>Also, thanks for being infinitely wise and generally awesome, MYO1634</p>

<p>Great, you’re applying to Rice, so I won’t have to sell you on that one.</p>

<p>Agreed on Brown. It’s not a party-hard school (though there are parties for those who want them), and although it’s a competitive school to get into, the atmosphere is relaxed/not very competitive (ranked by Princeton Review as the college with the happiest students in 2010) due to the grading system/open curriculum (no one takes all the same classes/harder to compare oneself)/lack of class rank. It’s also amazing when it comes to LGBTQ/minority/women issues, and the students there are so friendly. It’s obviously very hard to get into, but what’s another reach school? The only issue you might have there is the weather, since like the rest of New England, Providence can get very cold.</p>

<p>I also agree about most liberal arts colleges. I’d suggest you look into Bates, Carleton, Grinnell, Haverford, Swarthmore, Vassar, and Wesleyan. I can’t comment on most of their science programs, except I hear Swarthmore has excellent research facilities.</p>

<p>Oh wait, you might applying to Wellesley? Please do, their application fee is free! I’d say that all of the 7 Sisters are very LGBT friendly. With that, I’d definitely also look into Barnard and Bryn Mawr, although I feel like the former can get very academic intensive, especially since it’s next to Columbia.</p>

<p>^true, their enviro geoscience program is terrific.</p>

<p>In California, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is widely considered better than some UC’s. However it’s impacted and it can be hard to get all your classes to graduate. But highly respected on the West coast, warm weather (pretty idyllic campus and area actually) and very strong in Environmental science.</p>

<p>I second Grinnell as a match to low reach. </p>

<p>My D looked at Pomona and I studied Claremont and Scripps. I contacted profs in neuroscience at the first two and they were very forthcoming about their researchers, their summer interns, the equipment they had purchased (and made available to the u/gs, of course), etc. What a great bunch of scientist teachers. I felt certain that between the four schools (incl. Harvey Mudd), D could get an excellent science education. And they have strong language departments, also something important to D, including at Scripps a live-in tutor on a hall where the Italian majors hang, and another in the hall where the Frenchies hang, so that kids can speak with a native speaker in the demotic when they’re not in class learning grammar. D was wait listed, and she had almost identical scores and ECs but your leadership is stronger, just what Pomona and Claremont tend to like. I have no horse in this race.</p>

<p>Someone above mentioned Harvey Mudd – it is a pretty hard core STEM school, so just be aware if you decide to look into it. I am not sure someone with anxiety issues who wanted to avoid an intense studying culture should consider it.</p>

<p>Even though the weather may not be tops for you, I think Whitman could be a good fit. The environmental science & studies component permeates the place. Carleton is another where that is the case. Although Carleton is a cold weather place – but what is college for except to try something new? Broomball, anyone?</p>